South Africa 2016

Our base in Balule was a game lodge set on a river bank. There were crocodiles basking on the sand bank and hippos grazing or sleeping on the far shore. The day –to-day activities consisted of game drives (to identify animals), game transects and walks on foot. We had some memorable encounters; lions, elephants, leopard, hyena, giraffe and baboons. We came across elephants on the third day. We found ourselves in the middle of a herd of 13, crossing the road. The guide said: “don’t say a word, don’t even take photos, just shut up”. One of the matriarchs flared her ears at us and the leader gave her a nudge to stop her charging us. You could imagine her saying “leave it, they’re not worth it”. The only way the encounter could have been closer was if the truck had been rammed. Even the guide got out of the truck afterwards, visibly pale, and said “I need a cigarette after that - you’re not supposed to get that close.”
One evening, during the meal, the camp leader came in and said “stay quiet and go to the fence - there’s a leopard hunting”. And there was. A large male leopard walked past us, not bothered by the numerous lights trained on him.
For the second week we transferred to Sodwana Bay, near the Mozambique border. When not diving, we spent most of our time in the café which served coffee and toasties. The entertainment was provided by a troop of vervet monkeys who raided at random intervals. You could have your chips taken out of your hand if not careful. Sometimes they would steal food from the counter. The old lady who ran the place would come out with a catapult, which was less-than-effective but good for a laugh.
Sodwana Bay is a world-renowned dive site. The marine life is spectacular. Ironically, the snorkelers saw the most. They saw humpback whales in the distance, dolphins and a manta ray. The divers had some spectacular encounters including two huge potato bass, (black and white groupers, about 6 foot long), turtles, white-tip sharks and big morays.
Overall, it was a stunning trip. We ate impala stew and Mopani worms (actually caterpillars), saw how far we could spit impala poo (it’s a game, honest), danced with Zulus, slept under the stars and played football with elephant dung. It beats going to Southport.